Will the 'Dropbox for MacOS on File Provider' update become required? If so, when?

[Riley R.]

SUMMARY

I'm trying to find out if/when the 'Dropbox for MacOS on File Provider' update will be required/forced for all users. 

The loss of desktop support for Dropbox Vault is significant enough for me that I'm already looking for alternative cloud storage solutions, so I'm hoping to find out how much time I have before I need to make my transition. 

Any help or direction is appreciated! Thanks all!

DETAILS

I currently use Dropbox Vault through macOS Finder and I was disappointed to find out today that this functionality will be removed with the new update. As far as I can tell, though, it seems we're able to continue using our current version indefinitely without much downside. I'm grateful for this, but I assume that we'll lose the option at some point, and I'm not seeing any announced timeline for when that will happen. 

The only official word I could find was this: 

"Note: While we recommend opting-in to the latest version of Dropbox for macOS on File Provider, this migration isn’t required for you to continue using Dropbox."

(Dropbox Help | Expected changes with Dropbox for macOS on File Provider, emphasis added)

So currently, it's recommended and not required, but there's no mention of future requirement and I wasn't able to find additional information from my searches in the Dropbox community forums or on Google.

SPECS (in case they're relevant)

Dropbox App:   v197.4.7571

Device:   MacBook Air M1, 2020

OS:   MacOS 13.4 Ventura (22F66)

REFERENCED CHANGE

Known Limitations

Updates	Additional Information
...	...
Dropbox Vault can’t open files or folders from the Dropbox desktop app.	You won’t be able to access files and folders stored in Dropbox Vault on the Dropbox desktop app. You can still access your Vault files on the web.

(Dropbox Help | Expected changes with Dropbox for macOS on File Provider, emphasis added)

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https://help.dropbox.com/installs/dropbox-for-macos-support

https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes

[Nancy · Accepted solution]

Welcome aboard the Community, @Riley R.! 

You’re correct in that the Dropbox for MacOS on File Provider update will be at some point implemented for all users. 

However, I’m afraid we can’t specify when this is going to happen either. 

For now, you can continue using the previous version of the Dropbox app without having to update it in the immediate future.

If something changes though, you should be notified that you need to update your Dropbox app to the new version. 

I’ll be here, if you need something else.

[Riley R.]

Thank you, Nancy!

I'm glad to get confirmation that there isn't information I just missed somewhere. I definitely appreciate having the option not to upgrade for now. 

I started using Dropbox in 2011 and I've loved it all these years. If I do end up switching to another provider, I'll definitely miss it.